EA Sports releases Bengals’ ratings for Madden 15

On Sunday, EA Sports released ratings for its upcoming Madden 15 game for all teams in the NFC and AFC North divisions, including the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals check in with an overall rating of 86, best in the AFC North, and two points better than the Baltimore Ravens. The Pittsburgh Steelers (78) and Baltimore Ravens (75) round out the division.

While it’s no surprise that the defense’s top-end talent outranks the offense, the fact that half of the team’s top-10 players are on the offensive side of the ball was a bit of a shock.

• Rookie Darqueze Dennard (78 overall) is already Cincinnati’s best man-to-man defender (rated 89). He’s one of four corners with an 85-or-better number in that category, speaking to the team’s cornerback depth.

• Andy Dalton’s throw accuracy doesn’t really drop on deeper routes as he’s been rated 85 on short passes and 83 for both medium and long throws with an 86 throw power.